Local History #tbt - Kids Will Be Kids

Kids never change.

That message comes through loud and clear while perusing the 800+ photos of early 20th century Monroe, Ohio, in the Marion G. Warner Photograph Collection.

Made available by the Monroe Historical Society, the massive collection of black-and-white photographs taken by Monroe businessman Marion G. Warner (1861-1922) is now available for viewing on MidPointe’s Digital Archives  (http://www.midpointedigitalarchives.org/digital/). It can also be seen on a 70-inch interactive touch screen at MidPointe’s Middletown location, where a set of enlarged photos is also on display.
Kids are well-represented in Mr. Warner’s photos, derived from individual glass plate negatives. The images reflect almost every aspect of life in the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s -- so different yet so familiar to today. They include:

Schoolchildren accompanied by an adult, presumably a teacher or principal :Photograph of children in front of the Monroe Consolidated School building, Monroe, Ohio, undated


Children accompanied by pets : Photograph of an unknown boy playing Cowboys and Indians by a white tent, 1916 June 18, photograph 1

A First Communion or Confirmation class at the Church of Our Lady of Seven Dolors :Photograph of the 1910 Church of Our Lady of Seven Dolors confirmation class, Monroe, Ohio, 1910 Aug

Posing with the older generation :Photograph of three generations of four women, and a young boy, 1914, photograph 2

Of course, playing in the dirt :Photograph of an unknown young boy playing in the dirt, undated, photograph 1

Or all dressed up for a ride with no pony in sight :Photograph of two unknown boys sitting atop a pony cart, undated

While the majority of buildings in the Warner collection have been identified, most of the people have not been identified, said Adam Wanter, MidPointe’s Digital and Special Collections archivist. Therefore MidPointe Library is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the unknowns.

If you can identify people or places in the Marion G. Warner Photograph Collection or would like to correct items that have been misidentified please contact the library at  https://www.midpointelibrary.org/page/contact-form